18/09/2025
🦶 40 steps in the trader’s journey
Every trader thinks they’ll outsmart the market. The reality is a grind: excitement, pain, false hopes, rules, and finally discipline. Here’s how the journey really unfolds:
🟡 You collect books, courses, and setups. Everything looks like a shortcut to riches.
🟡 You place your first trades, full of confidence.
🟡 You win, then give it back. Reality bites.
🟡 You decide the problem is not enough knowledge. So you collect more.
🟡You change markets, tickers, styles. Surely the grass is greener.
🟡 You try again with a “better system.” It fails.
🟡 Losses sting harder. Doubt creeps in: maybe you can’t trade.
🟡 You start listening to what other traders claim works.
🟡 You try their tricks. You lose again.
🟡 You scrap your style and flip methods completely.
🟡 You search for even more information.
🟡 You trade again and finally see small progress.
🟡 You size up on one “sure bet.” The market takes your money instantly.
🟡 You realize trading will take way more time and effort than you imagined. Many quit here.
🟡 You decide to get serious. You focus on a real methodology.
🟡 You test it. Some trades work, but something still feels missing.
🟡 You realize you need actual rules, not just ideas.
🟡 You pause trading to write and test rules.
🟡 You return with rules. Results improve, but ex*****on still hesitates.
🟡 You tweak, add, and refine your rules as you go.
🟡 You feel close to breaking through.
🟡 You accept full responsibility for results. It’s not the market, it’s you.
🟡 You keep trading. Slowly, you become more consistent.
🟡 You still break your rules sometimes. Results are mixed.
🟡 You go back to research and refine again.
🟡 You build stronger confidence in your rules.
🟡 You trade again. Results improve, but hesitation remains.
🟡 You see clearly that breaking rules destroys performance.
🟡 You realize the enemy is inside you: fear, greed, impatience.
🟡 You work on yourself, not just your charts.
🟡 The market teaches you more about your own psychology with each trade.
🟡 You finally master both method and rules.
🟡 You start making consistent money.
🟡 You get cocky. The market humbles you again.
🟡 You absorb the lesson and adjust.
🟡 You discover smaller sizing tames emotions. Discipline improves.
🟡 You understand risk management is everything. Big losses kill edge.
🟡 You trade small and consistent. Growth compounds.
🟡 Trading gets boring. Rules do the work, not your impulses. Your account grows.
🟡 You make more than you imagined. Money turns into a tool to live the life you wanted.
The lesson:
Every system, every guru, every setup will test you. Most quit at step 14 when they realize there’s no easy money. Those who push through discover the truth: edge is nothing without discipline, and discipline only comes from walking the whole path.
